Keep Holding on
by lizzieten
Summary: Sam is critically injured saving Dean, can help be found in time or will the Winchester three become the Winchester two?
1. Chapter 1

Keep Holding on

Chapter 1

Feeling the warm heat of the sun, touching his skin, 13 year old Sam Winchester rolled over and stretched. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was 9 am. He frowned, his father never let him sleep that late, which made him wonder why he wasn't back from his previous hunt yet.

Taking a deep breath, Sam exhaled slowly and sat up, throwing his feet over the edge of his not so soft bed. He winced at the cold feeling that rushed through him as he touched the hardwood floor. Rubbing at his eyes, he headed towards the closed door. Opening it, he stepped out into the hall. He wondered when his dad would be back from the poltergeist hunt. He hoped soon, the longer John was gone the more Sam worried. Things had been strained between John and him lately because Sam didn't want to spend his life hunting, John didn't agree. He thought Sam needed to focus more on the skills he needed as a hunter and not spend so much time on trying to make friends.

He had been glad when John had decided that this particular hunt had been too dangerous for him. People would go to an abandoned warehouse, and then no one ever saw them again. Sam figured it was some kind of ghost, John however thought it could be something else, and had refused to listen to anything Sam had to say on the subject.

_"I know what I'm talking about Sam" John had growled "I've been hunting longer than you, there's nothing here that…" he indicated the newspaper in Sam's hand "that even points to a haunting."_

_ "How else would you explain the disappearance's" Sam said frustrated that his father wouldn't even listen to him. He'd seen the signs; he knew the only thing it could have been was ghost possession. _

_ "There are a million other things that it could be" John said, turning to glare at his youngest. "You don't even care about hunting, so why would you actually bother to take the time to research the possibilities." Sam huffed out a breath and glared at his father. It would figure that his dad wouldn't listen to him. He turned to Dean was lying back on the bed, watching TV and ignoring the brewing argument. "Doesn't it look like a ghost possession?" Sam asked Dean._

_ "Actually, it does" Dean agreed "There are too many signs pointing to it." John frowned but didn't say anything, just turned to pour over the newspapers again. _

That was the last time Sam had seen his dad, who had left for the hunt, leaving Sam and Dean alone. Sam didn't like fighting with his father, but at the same time he didn't like his father deciding how he was going to spend his life. Sam understood that there were people whose lives were in danger, but he wanted the chance to be normal. That would probably never happen; Sam figured he would have plenty of time to figure that out, after all he still had five years until he was eighteen, so there really was no point in debating it right now. He wasn't going to give up on his dream of going to college, but for now he was willing to let it rest.

"Dean?" Sam called as he headed down the hallway towards the kitchen.

"I'm in the kitchen" Dean called; there was worried note in his voice that made Sam frown.

"What's up?" Sam asked, entering the room and heading for the cabinets that sat above the sink.

"Dad, was supposed to have been back by now" Dean said "I've tried calling him and it goes straight to voicemail."

"You don't think something happened to him do you?" Sam asked, his frown deepening. John and Sam might now see eye to eye on things but Sam didn't want anything bad to happen to him. He hoped that John was alright.

"I think it probably did" Dean said "And normally, I wouldn't be too worried, he can get himself out of just about anything, but I don't know this time I have a really bad feeling." Sam grabbed a box of cereal and poured himself a bowl before going and sitting down at the table.

"What should we do?" Sam asked as he took a bite.

"I want to go after him, but I don't think you should go" Dean said "If it is a ghost possession it will be too dangerous for you." Sam knew Dean was only trying to protect him, but still he wanted to help find his dad.

"I can take care of myself, Dean" Sam said "besides if it is ghost possession you're going to be some help finding and burning the body." Dean shook his head and chuckled, leave it to his little brother to be the logical one.

"Dad didn't want you on this hunt for a reason you know." Dean said "but you're right I will need help." Sam chuckled he never had to twist Dean's arm too hard to get what he wanted.

"Finish eating and meet me out in the car. I want to leave as soon as possible" Dean told him before leaving the room to gather the supply's they would need to hunt a ghost.

Ten minutes later they were sitting in the Impala and heading towards the last place their father had been. Sam stared out the window lost in thought. Would this be the last time he seen his father alive? Would they be able to find the bones the ghost belonged to and burn them in time?

"I know your worried" Dean said glancing over at his little brother "But since I'm here, it's going to be fine, little Sammy doesn't have to worry." Sam snorted and turned to look at him.

"Are you serious?" he asked, at this point anything could go wrong; though they were pretty well prepared for that eventuality.

"We're going to get dad back, and he's going to be fine, I know you're worried" Dean said reaching out and ruffling Sam's hair. Sam scowled and brushed Dean's hand away.

"Pay attention to the road moron, I would like to get there in one piece."

"Trust me, when I say I have it cover" Dean chuckled and flicked the radio switch on. Turn the page filled the speakers, and Dean began tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. Sam rolled his eyes and turned back to staring out the window. He didn't see the scenery passing him by as he was thinking about the upcoming hunt for bones. Sam hoped that they could find them in time. From what he understood, the warehouse was massive and not to mention the fact that the bones might not even be at the warehouse.

"I bet there's something there that's tying the bastard to the place" Dean said as if reading Sam's thoughts. "The body could very well be gone, doesn't mean he doesn't have something that has him left behind."

"I guess that's true" Sam said "but it bothers me that something could get the jump on Dad like that."

"We're not even sure that's what's going on" Dean said "but we're going to find out" he added grimly. He didn't want Sam to know just how worried about the situation he truly was. Sam didn't need anything else to add to his stress.

An hour later Dean pulled the impala into the parking lot, what worried him the most, and confirmed his fears was the fact that John's truck sat in park.

"Well, we know he's still here don't we" Sam piped up from beside him. He threw his door open and climbed out. He was starting to get a bad feeling about this situation; he wasn't going to tell Dean. But he had the feeling that someone was going to get very badly hurt. He just hoped it wasn't going to be Dean.

Dean climbed out and headed towards the back of the trunk. Opening it, he grabbed the gas and the salt and handed Sam the shotgun.

"If you see anything don't hesitate to shoot." Dean said as they headed towards the building. Sam nodded and tightened his grip on the gun. The closer to the building they got the more nervous Sam grew. He didn't know why but this particular hunt bothered him more than any of the others they'd done over the past few months.

"Be careful" Sam whispered as they entered the building. His palms grew damp, as they entered the first room they came too. It was a large space and it was empty. They exited the room and headed towards the next. This room was filled with Printing Machines.

"Guess this is where the printed the newspaper" Dean commented as he walked closer to the machines. Sam frowned he could have sworn that the temperature just dropped ten degrees in the room. He tightened his grip on the gun, and slowly pulled it up so that it was held against his shoulder.

"Dean" he called "I think whatever we're looking for is in this room." Just then he heard a loud thud and saw Dean go flying in the air and hit one of the metal machines head first. Sam watched in horror as Dean landed on the floor and didn't get up.

"Dean!" Sam shouted, firing a shot at the being that appeared next to Dean's body. He raced over and kneeled down beside Dean, placing two fingers on his throat. His pulse was strong thankfully, next Sam checked Dean's pupils. They reacted normally and Sam breathed a sigh of relief. It didn't look like Dean was concussed after all.

"I'm grateful that you have such a hard head" Sam commented as he picked up the gun once more "But do you think that it's a good time to take a nap in the middle of the hunt?"

"Sam" John's voice called, and Sam turned and saw his father coming towards him. "Sam, I think I've found the culprit" he said as Sam climbed to his feet. Something wasn't right here. They had come looking for John and it looked like John was alright.

"Dad, if the hunt was going to take longer you should have called and let us know." Sam said not seeing the evil glint in John's eyes, as his father approached with a long piece of steel pipe in his hands.

"Dad, did you find the ghost or not?" Sam asked backing away as his father drew closer.

"I found him alright" John sneered looking at Dean. John raised his arm with the steel pipe and started for Dean, Sam suddenly understanding what he was going to do threw himself over Dean just in time to feel the pipe pierce him through his back and come out the front.

"Sam" he heard a shout and saw Dean staring at him, eyes wide with horror. Sam coughed and blood coated his lips and dripped down onto Dean's shirt, as Sam collapsed.

"Sammy" Dean cried as he caught Sam before he could impale himself even further on the pipe. "Hang on, buddy, I'm going to get you out of here."

"The ghost is in dad" Sam gasped and coughed again even more blood flowing past his lips. Dean's face went even paler. He didn't know how they would get out of this one alive.

"Please just keep holding on, Sammy" Dean cried, knowing that there wasn't much that he could do for his little brother. Anger filled Dean, his little brother was hurt seriously, and he was going to kick this ghost's ass. He better hoped it left his father in a fairly good shape.

"It wouldn't…. be… so…mad if…its bones…weren't…near" Sam said before closing his eyes and losing consciousness. Dean laid Sam on his side, and got up. Sam had a point, no ghost ever wanted you to burn there bones.

"Keep holding on." Dean murmured as he bent down and picked up the gas and salt. "I've got some serious ass kicking to do!"

**Hope you like! Let me know if you want more, thanks for reading and reviewing! Liz**


	2. Chapter 2

Keep Holding on

Chapter 2

Dean took one last long look at his little brother, and with his heart aching, he took a few steps away. he didn't want to leave his little brother, especially in the condition he was in. he wanted nothing more than to be able to rush Sam to the nearest hospital, but if he didn't get rid of this ghost, than neither of them would live to see him get to the hospital.

"I'm sorry, Sammy" Dean muttered "But I have to get rid of Casper first." Dean turned away, though it hurt him to do so. He started searching for the bones, he hoped he could find the bones and save both Sam and John. Dean was really starting to wish that this was one of the hunts that they had handed off to someone else.

Taking a deep breath, Dean headed towards an office that was located in the corner of the room. Dean was certain the ghost was the manager of the massive warehouse. He'd been fired for embezzling funds from the newspaper. After he'd been escorted from the premises, he came back the next day with a gun and shot up the place. Eventually, he was killed in the shootout. Legend had it; his body was supposedly buried in the very building this shootout had occurred. Why someone would want the guy to be buried in this place. You would think they would want his body to be as far away as possible. He hoped he could find it quickly. He didn't want Sam to suffer any more than he already was. He shuddered at the thought of not being able to get his little brother to help in time. He didn't want to think about the consequences of not getting help. He couldn't face a world without Sam in it. Everything Dean had done up until this point had been to protect Sam; this would mean epic failure if things didn't go the way Dean planned.

Just then his phone rang out, causing Dean to wince. The last thing he needed to do was to get the ghosts attention back on him. He had to get Sam out of there and soon. Within fifteen minutes Dean had found where the body was supposed to be buried. Grabbing the shovel, he'd flung over his back, Dean started digging as fast as he could ignoring, the continuing ringing of his phone. After he'd gotten several feet dug, he found the bones that were threatening to destroy his small family.

"I'm not going to let you hurt Sam any more, and you can leave my dad alone!" Dean growled as he dumped salt over the bones, his mind on his little brother while he done so. One thing was sure; Dean wouldn't ever forget the look on Sam's face as the steel pipe had been forced through him. Sam's face had registered shock, and then what Dean didn't understand was the calm acceptance of what would happen if Dean didn't get him help in time. He didn't understand how the thirteen year old could be calm about dying, or calm about his father shoving a pipe through him for that matter.

"Dean, if you want to get your brother to the hospital hurry up and burn the bones, I can only keep John busy for so long before he comes after you!" Dean heard a grumpy sounding voice call. What was Bobby doing there? How did he even know this would be where they were at? Shaking his head, Dean grabbed the gas and dumped it before grabbing and lighting a match, small amount of satisfaction going through him as he tossed it onto the bones. He watched the bones burn for a few minutes before turning and headed back to Sam.

His little brother's condition hadn't changed much, for which Dean was grateful. He was still unconscious, and a small amount of blood was slipping past Sam's lips, and Dean's heart ached looking at it. He should have been protecting his little brother much better than he had been.

"Hang on Sammy," Dean said reaching for his cell phone. There was no way he was moving Sam on his own, or even with Bobby's help.

"How's Dad?" Dean asked looking over at the older grizzled hunter.

"I think he's going to be okay" Bobby said "it doesn't look like Casper done any damage." Dean turned away and quietly talked to the operator on the phone, explaining how dire his little brother's situation was.

Once Dean hung up the phone, he reached out and as gently as possible pulled Sam onto his lap, with the piece of pipe sliding in between his knees. Dean stared down his little brother's face. Dean raised his thumb and wiped away the blood that slowly flowed past his lips.

"Sammy, it's not your job to protect me" Dean muttered while trying to listen for the medics. "I'm supposed to watch out for you, so you better pull through or I'm following you and I will haunt you forever if I have to." hearing a groan, Dean looked at his father, he glared at the slowly starting to wake body.

"You know Dean" Bobby said "being mad at your daddy isn't going to change anything; it wasn't like he could control the ghost."

"No, but he could have brought sufficient help, as soon as he realized what he was dealing with he should have called in more help." Dean said "He's put Sam's life on the line, if something happens to Sam, I'll never forgive him."

Bobby shook his head, he wished he could go on and knock John back out, for allowing something stupid to happen. He couldn't really blame Dean for being mad, not when the price of not being angry could cost Sam his life.

What seemed like ages later, but what was actually ten minutes, the paramedics finally arrived. Bobby showed them to where Sam was still unconscious and struggling to breathe. Dean paced restlessly while the medics worked on his brother.

"What happened?" one medic asked.

"What does it look like happened?" Dean snapped "he's got a pipe shoved clean through him!" the medic shook his head and placed an oxygen mask over Sam's face.

"It's a good thing that you didn't remove the pipe otherwise he would have bled to death already, as it is, it's slowing the blood flow down, and though it's still probably causing damage to his organs." The medic didn't add that she thought it was miracle that the kid was even still alive considering how close the pole was to his heart.

"How old is he?" she asked, looking at Dean, whom was beginning to take on the look of an overprotective grizzly bear.

"13" Dean grumbled watching as they lifted Sam onto a gurney. His heart broke at the soft moan of pain that escaped from Sam's lips. He wished he could trade places with him, but that wasn't possible.

"What were you doing in a place like this anyways?" the other medic asked sharply "Are you the reason he's like this now."

"Kind of" Dean admitted "and the reasons we were here would scare the pants off of you."

"You're not a child pervert are you?" The medic asked, causing Dean to turn and glare something fierce.

"That's my little brother, and I can assure you, our relationship is not like that!" Bobby chuckled, anyone who knew the Winchesters knew just how protective Dean was of Sam, and no one ever made the mistake of thinking there was something more to their relationship.

"Don't you have a job to do?" Dean muttered as he watched the medics push Sam towards the waiting ambulance.

"We just want to know about our patient." The blonde medic said.

"And that includes asking if I'm a child molester, how?" Dean asked.

"What other reason would you have for bringing a child out here?"

Dean snorted and looked over at Bobby, who was helping his father to his feet.

"I'll meet you at the hospital" he called before climbing into the ambulance to sit beside Sam. Dean immediately latched onto Sam's hand. He was going to be his little brother's lifeline.

Twenty minutes and several heartbreaking seconds later, Sam was pulled from the ambulance and pushed through the ER doors. Dean was pushed towards the waiting room; though he struggled to get back to Sam. he didn't want to leave his brother alone.

"Sir, you can't go back there with him, the doctors need space so that they can help him."

"I don't want Sammy to be alone" Dean cried, struggling against the arms that were holding him back.

"We will come and get you when we know something!" The nurse said firmly as Dean was pushed into a hard plastic chair and paperwork shoved into his hands.

"Fill this out and when we know something we will come and get you." Dean scowled but started filling out the paperwork reluctantly. He couldn't help but picture how pale Sam had grown paler by the minute on the way to the hospital. Dean knew they hadn't removed the pipe that had shoved through Sam's chance, at the time Dean knew it was the only thing keeping his brother alive. Dean couldn't imagine a world without Sam. He'd spent his life protecting him, if Sam didn't make it, what reason did Dean have to live?

"Dean, how is he?" A gruff voice asked from behind Dean. Dean shrugged, "I know nothing except that he's suffering alone."

"There is a reason they have that rule you know" Bobby said sitting down beside Dean.

"Where's dad?" Dean asked looking from the spot he'd been staring at.

"I dropped him off at the house; I figured you wouldn't want to see him right now."

"Not really" Dean agreed "if he hadn't been stupid, we wouldn't be here right now. He doesn't seem to mind risking Sam's life but I sure do."

"I'm sure he didn't think of it that way" Bobby said "he was focused on the hunt as usual. He didn't about what could happen."

"Which is strange in and of itself. He's always getting onto to Sam for not considering the consequences."

"Well everyone is allowed to screw up at least once" Bobby said and Dean scowled again.

"Well his screw up might cost us Sam, that price is far too high, it's not worth it." after that they went silent, Dean lost in his thoughts about Sam and at the same time praying that his little brother was strong enough to make it.

A few hours later Dean watched as the doors to the ER opened and a doctor walked out. He saw the grim look on the doctor's face he headed towards Bobby and him. Dean swallowed hard trying to prepare himself for bad news.

"How is he?" Dean demanded as soon as the doctor was standing in front of them. "Did he make it through the surgery?"

"He did make it through the surgery" the white haired doctor said after a brief introduction. "but the pipe has caused some pretty bad damage to his insides and unfortunately at this time, I don't think his heart can handle all the damage. I wouldn't expect him to live through the week." Dean closed his eyes as a wave of pain crashed through him. he wanted to scream at the doctor make him do something more for Sam, but he didn't think there was much more the doctor could do besides make him more comfortable.

"Just what did the pipe damage?" Bobby asked, while placing a comforting hand on Dean's shoulder and squeezing.

"It tore a hole through his lung and it somehow grazed the heart, putting a small hole in it. We were able to fix that in surgery." The doctor said "and I don't think this is from what happened, but Sam's left kidney is showing signs that it's shutting down. Do you know how that happened?" Dean frowned, something like that you would think he would notice but he hadn't. He wondered how long that had been going on.

"I've never noticed" Dean admitted feeling more negligent than ever. He was supposed to know when something was wrong with his brother. Taking a deep breath, Dean looked up at the doctor.

"I want to see my brother." the doctor nodded "He's in ICU now, I don't think letting you see him will hurt anything."

"You'd better believe it" Dean muttered before standing up.

"Thanks for coming Bobby" Dean said reaching and shaking the older man's hand.

"If anything changes call me I'll come back as fast as I can." Bobby said.

"Thanks Bobby" Dean said before turning to follow the doctor down the hall. He ignored the nurses that stopped and stared at him in the hall, he only wanted to see Sam, and none of those girls mattered right now. the only thing that mattered was getting to Sam, nothing was going to stop him.

What he saw when he reached Sam's room made him to get sick. Sam's chest was wrapped in bandages, blood slowly seeping through. Tubes flowed from Sam's hand that was attached to an IV. More importantly was the tube that protruded from Sam's mouth. It made Dean realize just how dire the situation was. He walked slowly towards the bed, he hated that his brother was even in this condition to begin with.

"Why Sam?" Dean asked his voice cracking as tears filled his eyes, "why did you do that? Don't you know I'm supposed to be the one protecting you?" Dean sitting down grabbed Sam's hand in his and lay his head down on Sam's bed. Soft sobs could be heard coming from the quivering form in the chair.

**Sorry it took so long to get up. I have been working on getting my book, Finding Hope up on Amazon, it's finally up if you want to check it out. thanks for reading and reviewing. Liz**


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